This invention relates to an apparatus and method for charging a liquid laden with a dispersed contaminant. More particularly though not exclusively, the invention finds application to the separation of a dispersed contaminant phase from a phase mixture comprising the contaminant phase dispersed in a continuous liquid phase. The contaminant may be a solid, liquid, gel or gas or any combination of such contaminants coexisting. Examples of contaminants are carbonaceous solids, metals and metal oxides (e.g., alumina fines), composites, water droplets, polymer chains and precipitates (such as wax crystals, asphaltenes, hot filtration sediment, and high molecular weight polar compounds) and gas bubbles. "Liquid phase" is used to indicate that the continuous background phase is liquid. Examples of the application of this invention are the removal of particulate material from a liquid stream or dispersed water droplets from lube stocks and other oils. Further possible applications of the invention are emulsion breakage, dehazing fuel oil, removal of fine particles from refinery process streams, particulate separation in coal liquefaction and oil shale processes, and removal of coagulated metal-rich fractions from residua.